Air date: October 15th, 1998 (UK), February 11th, 1999 (US)
After Rusty helps Peter Sam to the water tower with his train, Peter Sam's trucks break away and fall into a ravine. Sir Topham Hatt punishes Peter Sam by making him work in the yards until he can trust him again. Duncan chortles that Peter Sam's trucks will return to haunt him, so Rusty tells him of an engine who tried to cross the same ravine and fell into the swamp below. Duncan is dismissive, but Peter Sam's driver gets an idea. He and Duncan's crew plan to teach Duncan a lesson and take him across the bridge. After seeing the ghost heading towards him, (though it is just an engine formed by fireflies) Duncan is spooked and runs back to the safety of the shed.
Tropes featured in the episode:
- An Aesop: If you're either deliberately or carelessly rude, karma can hit you really bad.
- Asshole Victim: The troublesome trucks. They run away from Peter Sam and end up falling into the river. Judging by Duncan's comments, they’re dead.
- Bully Hunter: Rusty tried to put Duncan back into his place to stop him hazing Peter Sam.
- Break the Haughty: This happens to Duncan when he (or so he thought) sees the ghost.Duncan: It's the ghost! Take me back! Take me back please!
- Darker and Edgier: Along with the following episode, this is probably one of the scariest in the entire show. While not the only episode to feature a ghost engine, it is notable for being the only one where the engine’s death is actually shown, thus leaving it ambiguous whether the story is real or not.
- Five-Second Foreshadowing: The trucks derailing over a ravine at the start of the episode foreshadows the ghost story Rusty tells Duncan to punish him for bullying Peter Sam with a nasty joke.
- Jerkass: Duncan who delighted in Peter Sam getting punished and teased him by saying that the trucks will return to haunt him and also the trucks themselves for causing this disturbance.
- Karmic Trickster: Peter Sam's driver and Duncan's crew plan to teach Duncan a lesson for teasing Peter Sam.
- Kick the Dog: Right after Sir Topham Hatt confines Peter Sam to the yards as punishment, Duncan begins harassing him further over his incident with the trucks.
- Maybe Magic, Maybe Mundane:
- Rusty's story, as it's never made clear whether he made it up or not.
- When he's on the bridge, Duncan sees some fireflies take the shape of an engine. Is he just seeing things, or is there something else behind it?
- Miles Gloriosus: Duncan mocks Peter Sam about the ghosts of the trucks coming to haunt him. He scoffs at Rusty's ghost story, but when he thinks he sees a ghost? He has a panic attack and runs the other way.
- Rail-Car Separation: Early in the episode, Peter Sam stops at a water tower to refill his tank, when the Troublesome Trucks break away from him. They pass a sign that says, "Slow Steep Bends and Ravine Ahead", and fall off the Old Iron Bridge, landing in the swamp below.
- Runaway Train: The troublesome trucks break away from Peter Sam, but this resulted in them falling into the ravine.
- This Is My Chair: Duncan wants to get home early because he doesn't want Skarloey to take his favorite place in the shed.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Sir Topham Hatt was very angry with Peter Sam after his trucks fell in the ravine.
